Final Fantasy VII: Reflections - Book 1: Descent

FOUR

I was eighteen when I got my first promotion as Assistant Director of Systems Operation. It had been almost two years since I had started working at Shinra. The promotion caught me by surprise, to be honest, since I hadn't been expecting anything for a while yet. But I was happy about it just the same when Marissa came to my cubicle to give me the news and show me my new office next to hers.

"So what do you think?" she asked.

I grinned. "It's great! Just a little overwhelming..."

"How so?" she asked.

"Well, I thought someone else would get the job. Someone older, I guess. It'll feel a little weird giving out work assignments to people who have five or ten years on me, or even more."

Marissa laughed, her fiery red curls bouncing around her face. "It's alright, Jessica. You'll get used to it."

"I suppose so. Thank you, by the way."

"You're welcome," she answered. "You know, Director Tuesti wasn't much older than you when he was promoted to be the assistant for the previous head of Urban Development. And it was only a few years later that he took over the division himself after overseeing the construction of the city's mako reactors."

I nodded. "Your husband works in one of the reactors, right?"

"Yes, Reactor 3. He's the supervisor there. Overseeing the workers, making sure everything runs smoothly, that sort of thing."

"I thought as much," I said. "You've talked about him before."

That was true enough. We always chatted from time to time when we had a moment to spare and had become friends over the last couple years. And although she always tried to put on a cheerful, professional front, I had come to sense lately that something was bothering her. She wouldn't say anything about it and I wasn't going to pry, but I had seen a sense of resignation and anxiety in her eyes. I remembered how I had seen others in the building with that same feeling of quiet despair, with that slight slump in their shoulders. It wasn't everyone, but more than a few at least. I wondered if it that would ever be me.

Marissa and I talked for a little longer, then she left me alone to get settled in and back to work. After I had brought my stuff over from my old cubicle and gotten everything organized, I sat down and looked out the window for a moment. There was a nice view of the city, but seeing those reactors rising up at intervals like spokes on a wheel bothered me for some reason. And the high outer wall that surrounded Midgar kept any view of the lands beyond well out of sight. It was like living inside a giant, hi-tech cage, and all I wanted was to get out.

— — — — — — —

"Jessica!" Scarlet snapped, stalking over to the drafting table. "The specs for those roboguards. Where are they?"

It was about a week after my promotion, and the Weapons Design Division was bustling with activity around us. Lots of testing going on as well as materia formation and analysis. Shinra sold the orbs in shops all around the world, and much of it was made right here. I'd been busy scanning many of the schematics I'd drawn up for my weapons into the division's main computer when Scarlet called for me.

I jumped in spite of myself at the sound of her voice. "Just a minute and I'll pull them up, Director."

They came up on the monitor screen near the table after I tapped a few keys. Scarlet and I had developed these machines to use as security forces for the mako reactors. Well, they'd been hers originally, but I had since improved on them. Sweepers and monodrives for the main areas, and laser cannons mounted up high. Also, new particle beam weapons for the grunts. I'd wondered why we needed so much force, but Scarlet had told me it was for the workers' protection.